Astronomical price of mobile telephone numbers in Kuwait

Some decades ago mobile telephone was considered a sign of prestige or honor or even some took it as luxury but, over the period of time, the same has become a necessity, rather a basic necessity, and I won’t be wrong to pronounce that now somehow it is a disqualification for a person not to own a mobile telephone.

I am referring to 808080 which is one the free commercial weekly being published in Kuwait for well 30 years and on page 7 of its issue dated 12^th June, 2010 Kuwait Future Company dealing in telecommunications has advertised for general public to buy mobile telephone numbers available for sale. The price of a mobile telephone number ranges between KD 22,000/- to KD 7/- and this is what I am going to discuss from different angles.

What one needs to use a mobile phone is nothing but just a telephone number, with no reference whatsoever, to the numerical order of the particular number involved. Moreover, each and every number entitles the user either to call out or to receive a call and again without any paraphernalia attached to it. Likewise, the mobile telephone user can be any person, be male or female (genderless not excluded either). One can phone from any topographical location as well which can be in east, west, north, south or even combination like south–east etc. The time has no bearing on mobile telephone usage and the same has been proved beyond any shadow of doubt that the facility works and will work on twenty four hours basis. Needless to mention, one can call and or receive a call on any day of a week, month, year, decade and or century. The user may be a child, youth, fully grown up and or even a senior citizen like me. Educated or uneducated, employed or unemployed, rich or poor, governor or governed, white or black, shopkeeper or business tycoon, healthy or sick and the list can be stretched to any such like groups but the crux is that all of them are fully entitled and authorized to use mobile telephone. Last but not the least, mobile telephone number at its own has no ability, capacity and or authority to distinguish and classify as to who is its user who can be both an owner and or a borrower.

What perplexes me is as to what can be the practical advantage of buying an astronomical mobile number as compared to dirt cheap one when the both numbers are sold even by the same company and that too for the sole purpose of calling out and receiving calls. Unluckily I do not own an astronomical number not because I am ignorant of it but honestly speaking without any hesitation and or reluctance at least I can not afford it though would love to own one if at all possible even during the next century. Luckily I did use three times such like numbers which my friend from ruling Al-Sabah family owns, a minister owns and an owner of ISP owns and to the best of my knowledge and belief I did not notice any phenomenal change in performance of the calls I made through the three mobile telephone numbers under reference. As an honest person I must record that my BP must have shot up a bit though I did not gauge at that point of time but still I was normal and did not turn hysterical to use the mobile telephone of such three distinguished Kuwaitis but it does necessitate the question as to why one pays so much money for a mobile telephone number.

Having given the introductory background, now I won’t test your patience any further, rather tender unconditional apology for taxing for quite some time. The weekly 808080 has quite naturally given the prices in Kuwaiti dinars and I have already worked out its equivalence in Pakistani rupees also so that my compatriots living back home can very well understand its heat and or glamour, whatever applicable. To add more fervor and flavor to the topic, I have gathered some such like info through Google also wherein the prices are quoted from UK etc. The numbers are categorized and named differently in different countries differently but still it can very safely and categorically penned that in most countries they are known as Platinum, Elite, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Distinguished etc. The buyer as and when approaches a place to buy a mobile number; he or she is shown is asked as to which mobile telephone company he or she is interested in and one the buyer opts for a particular service provider then he or she is asked as to how much money he or she can pay since phone number prices range from one digit to five digit figures and it is really very testing time for the buyer to decide as to what could be the best bargain at that point of time.

K U W A I T-------------------------------           UK--------------------------------------------------

Srl      Number      KD               Rs                 Number                GBP         KD           Rs

A    66 66 66 22     22,000/     6,493,683/        07**3333333       3,999/        1,759/    519,199/

B    90 99 99 04     22,000/     6,493,683/        07**2000000       2,500/        1,103/    324,372/

C    60 00 00 60    19,000/      5,608,181/        07* 66665555         999/           439/    129,579/

D    66 00 00 05      7,900/      2,331,882/        078* *654321         750/           330/      97,405/

E    66 66 67 76      5,500/      1,623,421/        0776*123456          750/           330/     97,405/

F     94 44 44 22      3,300/        974,052/        0755*50 50 50        699/           307/     90,616/

G    66 66 65 88      1,750/       516,131/         078**191919          359/           158/     46,636/

H    97 60 66 66        900/       265,439/          079*1005005          299/           132/     38,962/

I     65 55 30 66          40/          11,795/          0750*767472          199/            88/      25,975/

J    60 09 70 05          37/          10,909/           079*7747378           99/             44/      12,987/

K   94 94 93 68           7/            2,064/            0787989414*           30/            13/         3,837/

The funniest thing is that here in Kuwait cheaper telephone numbers carry some credit as well which means that the credited amount earned as such offsets the price to the same extent hence it becomes still cheaper. Categories I, J and K carry credit of KD 5 (Rs 1,474) KD 10 (Rs 2,948) and KD 4 (Rs 1,179) and resultantly the buyer in fact is paying KD 35 (Rs 10,321/), KD 27 (Rs 7,961) and KD 3 (Rs 885) only respectively.

My goodness, the highest priced mobile number in UK is only for KD 1,759/ or Pak Rs 519,199/ whereas in Kuwait the most expensive number is for just KD 22,000/ equivalent to Pak Rs 6,493,784/ and the two simply can not be compared with in any case. It reminds me that at the time when National Mobile Company was launched, Kuwait had 7 digits telephone numbers and luckily NMC had introduced one of the serials starting with 7 and therefore it asked the public to bid for telephone number 7777777 and I have myself read in newspapers that some body wished to buy the number for KD 25,000/ but it was still not sold out. 

It is an admitted fact that here some local Kuwaitis have so much money that perhaps they themselves do not know how much they have and they try to find out ways like this to spend to satisfy their ego.

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With my honest and solemn prayers